President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to bring to justice those responsible for the Saturday killing of about 22 travellers passing through Jos, the Plateau State capital.
Several other people were also injured in the attack.
In a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the president expressed his government’s commitment to the protection of lives and property of Nigerians.
He said he had already ordered security agencies to fish out those behind the crime.
His words: “Make no mistake about it: in line with my commitment to protect all Nigerians, I have ordered our security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of this gruesome massacre of innocent travellers and bring them to justice.”
The president said with the evident preparedness of the attackers, it was clear that it was a well-conceived and prearranged assault on a known target, location and religious persuasion of the travellers not an opportunist ambush.
The Presidency offered condolences to the families of the victims and continued to liaise closely with the local authorities – including security, the police, and governmental agencies.
“These kinds of attacks on our country’s citizens are unacceptable, heinous, and stand in complete contradiction to the teachings of the great religions of our nation.
“The Presidency stands steadfast with both Christians and Muslims at this time in condemnation of this latest attack and expects and insists that justice is swiftly – but fairly – delivered to the perpetrators,” the statement reads in part.
“As the facts of the sad incident continue to unfold, the Presidency commends the ongoing efforts by the Governors of Plateau, Bauchi, and Ondo; the Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar III and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi as well as a number of notable Christian and Muslim leaders as they intensify efforts to calm down the situation,” the Presidency added.
